1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to an improved tie-wire for use in constructing rough concrete walls, such as for a home foundation. More particularly, the tie-wire includes structure thereon which engages the form used in defining the concrete wall, keeping the form from encroaching into an adjacent locking arm engaging area on the tie-wire.
2. Prior Art
Heretofore various embodiments of wall tie-wires or tie-rods have been proposed for use in creating a rough concrete wall. Concrete foundation walls are generally poured between two sets of forms disposed in essentially parallel relationship and defining therebetween a channel having a dimension for the desired thickness of the concrete wall. Such opposed, spaced apart walls are generally held in a fixed relationship against the immense weight of the poured concrete by tie-wires or rods having abutment surfaces against which locking or latching arms on adjacent form sections abut.
The most widely used type of tie-rod is a so-called "button end" tie-wire which has a washer-like member swaged to the ends thereof to provide a flange which acts against a wedge-like member having an elongated slot with an enlarged key at one end thereof. These tie-rods extend through openings in spaced apart form sections and carry dish-shaped washers which bear against the inside of the form sections and hold the sections against relative movement toward each other. The tie-rods may extend outwardly of the sections four to eight inches to accommodate so-called waling strips running horizontally behind the form section and stiff backing running vertically behind the waling. A wedge or dog is then fitted over the button end and the waling and stiff backing is held between the form walls and the dog to rigidize and reinforce the form walls.
These button end tie-wires are relatively expensive to form. The production thereof requires the forming of two flattened portions, positioning of the dished washers adjacent the flattened portions, positioning of smaller washers adjacent the ends thereof, and swaging of the rod on opposite sides of the end washer.
Another form of wires or rods used in a forming system wherein latching members for engaging adjacent form sections are pivotally mounted to the form sections comprises a length of wire or rod stock which has been flattened either throughout its length or at the extremities thereof in a first plane to form a generally rectangular cross-section and then within the area of first flattening has been formed in a perpendicular plane so as to form indentations perpendicular to the first planes and flanges or abutment surfaces adapted to be engaged by the latching members on the concrete form sections.
This type of tie-wire has enjoyed popularity and is a relatively inexpensive, disposable item.
Examples of such wall ties are found in the following U.S. Patents:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Patentee ______________________________________ 2,898,659 Shoemaker 2,920,371 Shoemaker 3,010,175 Shoemaker 3,055,076 Van Halden et al 3,746,297 Daniels, Jr. 3,767,158 Milkus ______________________________________
The Shoemaker U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,898,659; 2,920,371 and 3,010,175 all disclose a tie-wire have a plurality of flats provided thereon for receiving a form engaging pivotable clip or latching member thereover for interengaging form sections used to define a concrete structure, such as a wall, to be poured.
The Van Helden et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,055,076 discloses concrete form locking means which include tie-wires similar to those of Shoemaker. The locking means comprise slotted tie-bars for receiving and engaging headed ends of the tie-wires.
The Daniels, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 3,746,297 discloses a tie-wire for concrete forms, the tie-wire comprising a length of wire having a portion of substantially cross section area adjacent the end thereof outwardly subtended by an annular flange of greater diameter than the wire, the flanges apparently eliminating form blowout by weight of concrete poured thereinto.
The Milkus U.S. Pat. No. 3,767,158 discloses a concrete form construction incorporating tie-wires or bars which are generally circular in cross section. Shoulder pairs are formed at each end of the bar which engage therein latch arms of the form sections for securing adjacent form sections together.
None of the above described tie-wires include means thereon for stopping the forms engaged thereto from encroaching into the area of the tie-wire to which the latch or clip is to be engaged.
Such encroachment causes difficulties in erecting the forms; the laborer spending significant amounts of time hammering the forms toward the center of the tie-wires, so that the latch engaging areas of the tie-wires are accessible, and the hammering the latch members down over and into appropriate engagement with the tie-wires.
If the need for such realignment of the forms relative to the tie-wires could be eliminated, a significant time and manpower saving could be appreciated.
As will be described in greater detail hereinafter, the improved wall tie of the present invention incorporates means thereon which insure proper alignment of the forms along the tie-wires, eliminating the need to readjust positioning thereof to obtain access to the latch engaging areas of the tie-wire.